Many hierarchical telecommunications networks, including the Internet, are centered around a core network. Numerous smaller networks attach to the core network, thereby establishing communication with each other. To enable communication between such subnetworks and the core network, backhaul devices are provided to aggregate subnetwork traffic from various sources for transmission over the core network toward their respective destinations. As traffic exits the core network, similar backhaul devices sort and transmit packets toward the appropriate subnetworks for further routing.
Different traffic within such a telecommunications network often carries different priorities. For example, real-time video conferencing traffic may carry a higher priority than best-effort traffic such as web browsing. Various network devices may process packets differently depending on this associated priority. For example, given the simple choice between transmitting a real-time packet and a best-effort packet, a router may forward the real-time packet and either drop or delay the best-effort packet.